,,,¤,¤¤¤¤¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,,
,,¤¤,,¤¤¤¤ ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,,
,¤,¤,¤,¤¤¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,,
¤¤,¤,¤,,¤¤ ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,,
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, WINDS ESKER ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, KEPT ME AWAY. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, BLUEBERRIES. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ AWAY. ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, REMEMBER. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, GROUND ITSELF. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, FORK. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ,¤,,¤,,¤,¤
,¤,¤,¤,¤,, ¤¤,¤¤,¤¤,¤